​​​​​​​​​​​​​​  

Olive Tree Neurodiversity Ltd. was founded by Marlene, an experienced and dedicated education professional with two decades in the field. With a background in mainstream teaching, Montessori teaching, special education, and study skills tutoring, Marlene has a wealth of experience working with students of all abilities.

 

Marlene focuses specifically on helping children and families identify their unique way of learning processing information.  She believes that the diagnostic assessment is far more than just finding out whether or not someone has dyslexia.  It is a powerful tool to help a child understand themselves, and helping others understand how to support them best. It helps to avoid more harmful self-labelling such as 'I'm dumb' or 'stupid'.  

​

"My mission is to empower families and individuals with SpLD to understand, have compassion for, and take accountability for their strengths and difficulties; to improve their skills and reach their potential; and to build resilience so that their difficulties do not define who they are."

 

Marlene furthermore, delivers specialist dyslexia and study skills tutoring to adults and children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, and ADHD. Through effective mentoring and proven techniques, Marlene strives to help her students overcome their learning challenges and reach their full potential. She is also passionate about giving parents the necessary tools to support their children through all their phases of education. 

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

"As a new parent, it's often challenging to gauge whether your child is reaching their developmental milestones at the expected pace. Comparing your child to others can create further uncertainty, especially if you notice delays in certain areas of development. When my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia, it brought to light the diverse nature of neurological conditions. The diagnosis not only shed light on our family's own challenges but also encouraged us to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses, much like the growth of an olive tree, which is slow but immensely valuable.​

​

I soon realised the lack of support available for parents in similar situations. Struggling with studying myself, I was diagnosed with dyspraxia during my postgraduate studies. This diagnosis gave me firsthand insight into the roller coaster of raising a neurodivergent child while managing my own Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD).

​

Upon my daughter's graduation from university, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and relief. Realising that many parents of neurodivergent children share similar worries about their children's future, I decided to utilise my years of research and experience to help other families just starting their journeys, offering them renewed hope."